Multitube launcher



Nov. 23, 1965 N. J. LA COSTA ETAL 3,218,929

MULTITUBE LAUNCHER Filed May 25, 1964 IN VEN TORS. NICHOLA .Lo COSTA E QHARD STR IC KLAND M ATTOR NEY5.

United States Patent M 3,218,929 MULTITUBE LAUNCHER Nicholas J. La Costa, Phoenix, Md., and Richard G.

Strickland, Stewartstown, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed May 25, 1964, Ser. No. 370,136 2 Claims. (Cl. 891.5)

This invention relates to an improved launching apparatus and particularly, to a multitube apparatus for launching multiple decoy packages simultaneously. I

In the modern era of nuclear weaponry the role of the missile as our first line of defense is fully conceded. Unquestionably the missile has had a tremendous impact on our military strategy both in the hot war as an offensive and defensive weapon capable of inflicting great destruction on the enemy and in the cold war as a deterrent to acts of aggression. However, recent progress in the direction of neutralizing the fire power of the missile necessitates counter-measures if present missile efliciency is to be maintained. A principal missile counteractant, which presently is acknowledged as operational, is the socalled anti-missile missile. The employment of this weapon is conjoined with that of the radarscope to effect a cooperative result which poses a serious threat to the value of a missile as a tactical weapon.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide means for neutralizing the fire power of antimissile missiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for use in combination with a missile whereby decoy packages for anti-missile missiles may be launched in flight.

In accordance with the present invention the foregoing and other objects are achieved by providing means for launching simultaneously multiple packages which act as decoys when viewed on a radarscope, thereby effecting a disruptive influence on the cooperative relationship between anti-missile missile and radarscope. A better understanding of the invention may be had by recourse to the following description, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a specific embodiment of the inventive apparatus; and

FIG. 2 depicts a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 through section 2-2.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a top view of the inventive apparatus comprising generally breech 10, cartridge assembly 20 and tubes 30. Breech and cartridge assembly 20 are cylindrical in shape, cartridge assembly 20 being coaxially aligned with and afi'ixed to the upper planar wall of breech 10. Tubes 30 emanate radially from the cylindrical wall of breech 10, the longitudinal axes of tubes 30 being uniplanar and arranged equiangularly about and normal to the vertical axis thereof.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed side view of the invention including locking assembly 40, not visible in the view depicted by FIG. 1. Breech 10 is shown as having a central chamber with threaded ports emanating radially through cylindrical wall 13. Screwed into said ports and extending outwardly therefrom are tubes 31 containing decoy packages 32 slidably inserted therein.

A locking assembly, designated generally as 40, is concentrically located in the lower portion of breech 10. This assembly comprises piston housing 41 which protrudes from lower planar wall 11 and extends therethrough into the chamber of breech 10. Piston housing 3,218,929 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 41 is securely attached to breech 10 by bolts, as shown, or any other suitable means. A vertical passageway concentrically located within piston housing 41 acts as a guide for piston 42 slidably inserted therein. Locking catch 43, having the shape of an annulus with a raised perimeter, circumscribes piston 42 and is attached thereto at a position within the lower half of the chamber of breech 10. A well, provided in the upper portion of piston housing 41 and through which piston 42 passes, seats locking spring 45, which ensleeves piston 42 and is biased against the lower annular surface of locking catch 43. In the lock position shown the raised perimeter of locking catch 43 engages stop rods 31, extending inwardly from the base of each decoy package 32, at a position near the inner end of each rod where an annular groove is provided. A horizontal passageway in the lower portion of piston housing 41 is provided normal to the vertical passageway therein and is divided by said vertical passageway. The ends of the horizontal passageway adjacent the periphery of piston housing 41 are threaded or otherwise adapted to receive screws or other stops which act as seats for detent springs 47 biasing detents 46. Thus, detents 46 are spring biased against the cylindrical surface of piston 42 slidably inserted within said vertical passageway and engage annular groove 44 of piston 42 when piston 42 moves down, thereby eifecting a locking of piston 42 in the out position. In the lock position, depicted by FIG. 2, piston 42 extends upwardly through the chamber of breech 10 and into a passageway in the upper planar wall thereof. The upper end of piston 42 is slidably inserted in said upper planar wall passageway and terminates at a stop which in addition to its obvious function permits propellant gases from cartridge assembly 20 to act on the face of piston 42. This stop is positioned to limit upward travel of piston 42, and thus locking catch 43, whereby the raised perimeter of locking catch 43 halts at a point below the plane defined by the horizontal axes of stop rods 31, the maximum distance of said point below said plane being equal to the radius of the annular groove provided in stop rods 31. Such positioning permits a conical terminus on stop rods 31 to translate horizontal force applied to decoy packages 32 to vertical force on the raised perimeter of locking catch 43 whereby piston 42 is moved downward compressing locking spring 45. When horizontal travel of stop rods 31 results in vertical alignment of the locking catch raised perimeter and the stop rod annular groove, locking spring 45 expands returning piston 42 to its original position and causing said raised perimeter to enter said annular groove thereby positively locking said decoy packages.

Cartridge assembly 20 is adapted to contain a propellant loaded cartridge and comprises a tubular cartridge housing 21 externally threaded on both upper and lower ends and having screwed on said upper end a cap or cartridge retainer 22, the latter being provided with a means, such as a firing pin, for delivering a fire signal to a contained cartridge. The lower end of housing 21 is screwed into a threaded opening in upper planar wall 10 which funnels into the passageway wherein the upper end of piston 42 is slidably inserted.

When a fire signal is delivered to a cartridge inserted in a cartridge assembly 20, propellant is ignited and a volume of gas is produced which acts upon piston 42 driving it downward. As piston 42 moves down, decoy packages 32 are simultaneously unlocked and are free to be ejected under the influence of propellant gas pressure which is vented into the breech chamber behind said decoy packages. concomitantly, spring loaded detents 46 in piston housing 41 engage annular groove 44 and lock piston 42 in the on position, thereby preventing retraction of piston 42 and avoiding any possibility of re-engagement of stop rods 31.

In considering the distinctive features of the inventive apparatus it will be noted that the package launching tubes are located radially about a common chamber, thereby requiring the use of only a single cartridge to effect the launching of multiple packages. These packages may be either the same or difierent in weight, a uniform weight being readily achieved by proper package sabot design. It will also be noted that the packages are positively locked in position by means of a piston actuated shot start mechanism. Further, where a high-low system is desired a simple orifice plate 23, as shown in FIG. 2, may be suitably employed.

Having thus described our invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same and it being expressly understood that the invention is not limited to the aforesaid preferred embodiment but may be otherwise embodied or practiced without departing from its spirit and scope, we state that what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what we claim.

We claim:

1. A multitube launching apparatus for launching multiple decoy packages simultaneously, said apparatus comprising a vertically positioned, cylindrical breech having tubes radially emanating from a central chamber therein, each tube being adapted to contain slidably inserted therein a decoy package the base of which has attached thereto a stop rod extending inwardly and having an annular groove near its innermost end,

a cartridge assembly attached to the upper planar wall of said breech and communicating with said central chamber via a passageway in said wall, said cartridge assembly comprising a cartridge container and means for delivering a fire signal to a propellant loaded cartridge contained therein, and a locking assembly attached to the lower planar wall of said breech, said locking assembly comprising a piston housing provided with a vertical passageway having a piston slidably inserted therein and extending upwardly through said central chamber, the upper end of said piston being slidably inserted in said upper planar wall passageway and terminating at a stop provided therein, said piston being afixed to and circumscribed by an annular locking catch with a raised perimeter at a position within said central chamber and below the center thereof, said raised perimeter being adapted to engage said stop rod annular groove thereby positively locking said decoy package, and a locking spring ensleeving said piston and seated in a well provided by the upper surface of said piston housing, said locking spring being biased against the lower annular surface of said locking catch. 2. A multitube launching apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said locking assembly piston housing is provided with a horizontal passageway which is bisected by said vertical passageway, said horizontal passageway containing at the extremities thereof stops which seat springs biasing detents against the cylindrical surface of said piston below an annular groove provided therein, the relative positions of said horizontal passageway and said piston annular groove being such that said locking catch is in and out of engagement with said stop rod when said detents are out and in engagement, respectively, with said piston annular groove.

No references cited.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Examiner. 

1. A MULTITUBE LANCHING APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING MULTIPLE DECOY PACKAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A VERTICALLY POSITIONED, CYLINDRICAL BREECH HAVING TUBES RADIALLY EMANATING FROM A CENTRAL CHAMBER THEREIN, EACH TUBE BEING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN SLIDABLY INSERTED THEREIN A DECOY PACKAGE THE BASE OF WHICH HAS ATTACHED THERETO A STOP ROD EXTENDING INWARDLY AND HAVING AN ANNULAR GROOVE NEAR ITS INNERMOST END, A CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY ATTACHED TO THE UPPER PLANAR WALL OF SAID BREECH AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CENTRAL CHAMBER VIA A PASSAGEWAY IN SAID WALL, SAID CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CARTRIDGE CONTAINER AND MEANS FOR DELIVERYING A FREE SIGNAL TO A PROPELLANT LOADED CARTRIDGE CONTAINED THEREIN, AND A LOCKING ASSEMBLY ATTACHED TO THE LOWER PLANAR WALL OF SAID BREECH, SAID LOCKING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PISTON HOUSING PROVIDED WITH A VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY HAVING A PISTON SLIDABLY INSERTED THEREIN AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID CENTRAL CHAMBER, THE UPPER END OF SAID PISTON BEING SLIDABLY INSERTED IN SAID UPPER PLANAR WALL PASSAGEWAY AND TERMINATING AT A STOP PROVIDED THEREIN, SAID PISTON BEING AFFIXED TO SAID CIRCUMSCRIBED BY AN ANNULAR LOCKING CATCH WITH A RAISED PERIMETER AT A POSITION WITHIN SAID CENTRAL CHAMBER AND BELOW THE CENTER THEREOF, SAID RAISED PERIMETER BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID STOP ROD ANNULAR GROOVE THEREBY POSITIVELY LOCKING SAID DECOY PACKAGE, AND A LOCKING SPRING ENSLEEVING SAID PISTON AND SEATED IN A WELL PROVIDED BY THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PISTON HOUSING, SAID LOCKING SPRING BEING BIASED AGAINST THE LOWER ANNULAR SURFACE OF SAID LOCKING CATCH. 